BATTUE

bloodbath, bloodletting, bloodshed, battue

(noun) indiscriminate slaughter; “a bloodbath took place when the leaders of the plot surrendered”; “ten days after the bloodletting Hitler gave the action its name”; “the valley is no stranger to bloodshed and murder”; “a huge prison battue was ordered”

battue

(noun) a hunt in which beaters force the game to flee in the direction of the hunter

Source: WordNet® 3.1

Etymology

Noun

battue (countable and uncountable, plural battues)

(uncountable, hunting, often, attributively) A form of hunting in which game is forced into the open by the beating of sticks on bushes, etc. [from early 19th c.]

(countable, hunting) A hunt performed in this manner.

Source: Wiktionary

Bat"tue`, n. Etym: [F. battue, fr. battre to beat. See Batter, v. t., and cf. Battuta.] (Hunting) (a) The act of beating the woods, bushes, etc., for game. (b) The game itself. (c) The wanton slaughter of game. Howitt.

Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition